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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Lentil & Beans

    Instant Pot Chana Dal

    Feb 6, 2023. by Bhavana Patil. No Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Chana Dal is an easy Indian Lentil recipe prepared with chana dal lentils (also known as split chickpeas or Bengal gram), assorted spices cooked in an Instant pot pressure cooker, or a traditional Indian pressure cooker for under 30 minutes. Vegan, Gluten-free.

    chana dal served in a bowl with tempering on top with side a rice
    Jump to:
    • What is Dal?
    • Ingredients for Chana Dal
    • How to Make Chana Dal in Instant Pot
    • Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
    • Stovetop Pot Method
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Tips to make the Best Chana Dal
    • Variations
    • FAQs
    • More Chana Dal Recipes
    • More Lentils/Bean Recipes
    • Instant Pot Chana dal Recipe (Split Chickpeas Soup)

    What is Dal?

    Dal, also called Daal, Dhal, or Dahl, are basically dried pulses that can be whole or split.

    Chana dal (also known as split chickpeas or Bengal gram) is a very popular and healthy legume frequently cooked in almost every Indian household. This is because Chana dal has a great source of plant protein, iron, folate, fiber, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly since it has a low glycemic index of around 8.

    Today, we are making an easy North Indian style Chana Dal with an extra ghee tadka which adds all the magic. It gets ready in under 30 minutes and is perfect for weekday meals.

    You can follow the same chana dal fry recipe with Red lentils (also known as Masoor Dal). I have shared both Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and Traditional Stovetop recipe below.

    instant pot chana dal serve din a black bowl with lemon wedges on the side

    Ingredients for Chana Dal

    Here are the main ingredients required to make chana dal recipe at home.

    • Chana Dal: Soak chana dal for at least 15-20 minutes to 2 hours to reduce the cooking time.
    • Green chilies: I have used two green Thai chilies.
    • Ginger: I have used minced ginger and garlic.
    • Onion: I have used finely chopped onions. You can prefer to skip it if you are making chana dal recipe without onion and garlic.
    • Tomatoes: I have used Roma tomatoes.
    • Oil: Use any cooking oil or ghee.
    • Dry spices: I have used cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and coriander powder. You can increase or decrease the spices according to your choice.
    • Lime Juice: use freshly squeezed lime juice.
    • Coriander leaves: I have used coriander leaves for garnish.

    How to Make Chana Dal in Instant Pot

    Soak the chana dal in hot water for 15-20 minutes.

    step to soak the chana dal in hot water collage

    Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

    Add minced onions, ginger garlic, and green chili. Saute till onions turn light brown.

    step to saute spices and onion collage

    Next, add tomatoes, dry spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.

    Then add soaked lentils, water and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage. Also, deglaze the pot, i.e., make sure there is no food particle sticking to the pot to avoid burn alerts.

    step to cook tomatoes with spices and add water to pressure cook collage

    Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 12 minutes.

    When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.

    Lastly, squeeze some lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix well. Add ยฝ cup of water to adjust the dal consistency if required.

    Optionally, You can also add extra tempering (tadka).

    step to add lemon juice and tadka collage

    Instant Pot Chana Dal curry, also known as Bengal gram dal or split chickpeas lentils, is ready. Serve hot with steamed rice, quinoa, or roti.

    chana dal in the instant pot insert with a spoon garnished with cilantro

    Note on the consistency:

    If one wants soft mashed dal, 14-15 minutes manual/pressure cook (High Pressure) is probably the ideal setting in manual mode.

    But I like lentils to be a little firm, so I usually cook for 12 minutes Manual/Pressure Cook (High Pressure).

    instant pot chana dal recipe

    Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

    Follow the same steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 3-4 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.

    Stovetop Pot Method

    Soak theย chana dalย for 3-4 hours and then boil it in a large pot for 25-30 minutes or until soft. After the lentils are cooked, prepare the tempering. Then saute onion-tomato-ginger-garlic paste and then assemble the dal.ย 

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve Chana Dal Fry with roti, chapati, jeera rice, or basmati rice. I like eating it with steamed rice or serving it as a Split Chickpeas Soup.

    Tips to make the Best Chana Dal

    1. Soaking Chana Dal: Donโ€™t skip out on soaking the chana dal for at least 15-20 minutes โ€“ Chana dal takes a longer time to cook. Soaking softens the lentils and cooks faster.
    2. Dal Consistency: If dal has more liquid, then you can boil it for a few minutes and vaporize the water.
    3. Spices: Increase or decrease the spices according to your preference.

    Variations

    1. Add vegetables: You can also add bottle gourd, zucchini, or pumpkin to this dal.
    2. No Onion, No Garlic: For a variation, you can also make this dal by skipping onion, and garlic.
    3. Using Bhuna Masala: You can use ยฝ-ยพ cup of Bhuna Masala (Onion Tomato Masala) in place of the onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic, in this recipe. Heat the oil, and add cumin. Let cumin seeds splutter. Then add the Bhuna Masala and saute for about a minute. Then add the ground spices and follow the same recipe.
    4. Vegan: Skip ghee and use any cooking oil of your choice.

    FAQs

    How to store cooked chana dal?

    Chana dal tadka is excellent for meal planning, can be refrigerated for 3-4 days, and freezes well up to a month when stored in freezer-safe bags.

    More Chana Dal Recipes

    • Lauki Chana Dal
    • Chana Dal Payasam
    • Chana Dal Paratha
    • Chana Dal Chutney
    • Chutney Powder

    More Lentils/Bean Recipes

    • Dal Tadka - Dal cooked with toor dal (yellow lentils).
    • Green Lentil Soup โ€“ lentil soup made with green lentils, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and Indian spices.
    • Spinach Dal / Palak Dal โ€“ Dhal cooked with spinach leaves.
    • Whole green moong dalโ€“ Dal cooked with whole mung beans.
    • Panchmel dal โ€“ dal prepared with five varieties of lentils.
    • Spinach Dal / Palak Dal โ€“ Dhal cooked with spinach leaves.
    • Raw Mango Dal โ€“ Dal cooked with Raw Mango.

    If youโ€™ve tried this healthy chana dal recipe or any other recipe on Indianveggiedelight, then donโ€™t forget to rate the recipe. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see the latest recipes!

    Tried this recipe?Donโ€™t forget to give a โ˜… rating below

    Instant Pot Chana dal Recipe (Split Chickpeas Soup)

    Bhavana Patil
    Chana Dalย is an easy Indian lentil recipe prepared with Chana Dal, assorted spicesย cooked in Instant pot pressure cookerย orย traditional Indian pressure cooker under 30 minutes.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings: 4
    Calories : 195
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop
    Prep Time : 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time : 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time : 30 minutes minutes

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    • Stovetop Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup chana dal (bengal gram) soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
    • 1 small onion finely chopped
    • 1 large tomato finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic minced
    • 1 green chili slit lengthwise
    • 2 cups water for cooking
    • 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
    • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
    • juice of half lime
    • salt to taste

    Spices:

    • 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
    • ยฝ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ยฝ teaspoon red chilli powder
    • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
    • ยฝ teaspoon garam masala

    Extra Tempering (Optional)

    • 1 teaspoon ghee
    • ยฝ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
    • ยผ teaspoon red chili powder
    • a pinch asafetida (hing)

    Instructions
     

    Instant Pot Method:

    • Soak the chana dal in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
      step to soak the chana dal in hot water collage
    • Pressย SAUTEย onย Instant Pot. Add oil, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
    • Add minced onions, ginger garlic, and green chili. Saute till onions turn light brown.
      step to saute spices and onion collage
    • Next, add tomatoes, dry spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Cook till tomatoes turn soft, which takes 2-3 minutes.
    • Then add soaked lentils, water and give a stir. Adjust spices at this stage. Also,ย deglazeย the pot, i.e., make sure there is no food particle sticking to the pot to avoid burn alerts.
      step to cook tomatoes with spices and add water to pressure cook collage
    • Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select theย PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure)ย setting and set the cooking time toย 12 minutes.
    • Once the pot beeps, let it release the pressure naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes.
    • Lastly, squeeze some lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix well. Add ยฝ cup of water to adjust the dal consistency if required.
      Optionally, You can also add extra tempering (tadka).
      step to add lemon juice and tadka collage
    • Instant Pot Chana Dal curry, also known as Bengal gram dal or split chickpeas lentils, is ready. Serve hot with steamed rice, quinoa, or roti.

    Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

    • Follow the same steps from the instant pot instructions. Give 3-4 whistles on medium flame and let the pressure release naturally. All the other steps remain the same.

    Stovetop Pot Method

    • Just soak theย chana dalย for 3-4 hours and then boil it in a large pot for 25-30 minutes or until soft.
      After the lentils are cooked, prepare the tempering. Then saute onion-tomato-ginger-garlic paste and then assemble the dal.ย 

    Notes

    I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker,ย Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

    Tips to make the Best Chana Dal

    1. Soaking Chana Dal: Donโ€™t skip out on soaking theย chana dalย for at least 15-20 minutes โ€“ Chana dal takes a longer time to cook. Soaking softens the lentils and cooks faster.
    2. Dal Consistency: If dal has more liquid, then you can boil it for a few minutes and vaporize the water.
    3. Spices:ย Increase or decrease the spices according to your preference.
    ย 

    Variations

    1. Add vegetables: You can also add bottle gourd, zucchini, or pumpkin to this dal.
    2. No Onion, No Garlic: For a variation, you can also make this dal by skipping onion, and garlic.
    3. Using Bhuna Masala:ย You can use ยฝ-ยพ cup ofย Bhuna Masala (Onion Tomato Masala)ย in place of the onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic, in this recipe. Heat the oil, and add cumin. Let cumin seeds splutter. Then add the Bhuna Masala and saute for about a minute. Then add the ground spices and follow the same recipe.
    4. Vegan: Skip ghee and use any cooking oil of your choice.
    ย 
    Note:ย Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 476mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 10gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 208IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword chana dal, healthy, instant pot lentils
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